January 10th 1941 Any hopes that Kiido Butai had ran out of fuel or ammunition were dashed yesterday when its bombers paid a visit to the idyllic port of Suva. Several tankers were attacked and sunk in the harbor. Malacca falls to Japanese attack but all the allied forces had withdrawn from the city in good order prior to the enemy assault. Closer to home, the asw tf of DDs Allen, Ward and Chew reported attacking an enemy submarine near Lanai. This time, they report four hits on the enemy. Since the nearest repair facility in Kwajalein is far far away, we may count that enemy sub as sunk.

January 11th. Enemy bombers revisit Suva and there is nothing the US Navy can do about it. But this does not mean the U.S. is inactive. On the contrary, at a bunch of small, insignificant atolls in the Pacific, troops of engineers build airfields, harbors, out of coral rock and sand. In fact Palmyra has just acquired a level 2 port. In other places, fortifications are being hastily built to withstand the enemy attack, bound to come soon.

December 12 42. Pegu falls. The Japanese score their first success in their drive for the oil and resources from Burma. Pegu fell yesterday. This vital station in the Burma road fell to Japanese attack isolating Rangoon from the resource rich inland forests. December 13 42 Ships that cross in the night. Vanikoro is a small collection of coral atolls, of no importance to anyone who had not read 20,000 leagues under the sea, however, yesterday, two task forces crossed each other during the night and, had the allied force been a combat force instead of a tanker one, history might be different. Imagine, if you will the shock on the bridge of DD Cushing, flagship of the oiler fleet when, out of the night’s gloom pour a gaggle of enemy ships; among them, he recognizes two battleships, Hiei and Kirishima, and two heavy cruisers, Tone and Chikuma. Expecting to be blown out of the water, he orders his ships to open the range; he ponders ordering the tanker convoy to scatter, in the hopes of saving at least one or two of his juicy, fuel laden tankers. Only as the two fleets begin to open the range, in divergent tracks he sees the reason why the Japanese did not attack him. Following the battleships and cruisers, CV Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku and Akagi. He has time to issue a contact report and to steam away as fast as his oilers can. Dawn however comes way before he is out of range. The men man the AA guns, and wait. The results speak for themselves. A transport TF, fortunately homeward bound and empty is found first. AP Henry T. Allen, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage xAKL Kahuku, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk AP President Polk, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk AP President Jackson, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AP Henderson, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk DD King, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Lawrence DD Sands xAP President Buchanan, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk xAP President Fillmore, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires xAP President Taylor, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage xAP President Tyler, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage AP Tasker H. Bliss AP President Monroe, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk Then it’s the oilers turn. DD Cushing AO Patoka, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk AO Neches, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires AO Sabine, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage AO Kaskaskia, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires AO Kanawha, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk DD Rathburne, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires DD Perkins

January 15 1942. Is there no end to the Japanese daring? Now the dreaded KB has moved to the vicinity of Ocean Island where their naval bombers savaged yet another tanker task force. Nine tankers and their destroyer escorts were attacked. In addition to the loss of precious fuel we have to lament the loss of life, of the brave sailors that manned those ships. We have to ask: If it is so important to carry that fuel all the way into Australia, then is it not essential to provide air cover? The allied tactics appear to involve waiting for the enemy to expend all its munitions. This is no way to fight a war.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

January 16 1942. The allied forces retreat in Burma; British forces are pushed back in New Guinea. A new Japanese carrier task force makes its appearance in the Banda Sea, between Timor and the Celebes islands. The only good news is that this second carrier task force cannot find any shipping to attack, because all the ships have fled the area.

January 17 1942 While in the Philippines, American and Filipino forces continue to hold on to Clark, everywhere else the Japanese continue to overwhelm all their opponents. In China things are not that good either. It appears the Chinese forces, even when they outnumber the Japanese, cannot hold out for even a day before taking off at full speed.

January 18 1942. Kiido Butai visits Luganville. The New Hebrides Islands are the new recipients of KB’s largesse. Will these guys never run out of ammunition? Yesterday, B5N1 Kates from the enemy carriers attacked undefended shipping in the harbor. xAK Royal T. Frank suffered 7 bomb hits and AP US Grant 6. In the Solomon Islands, the Japanese made an unopposed landing in the island of Guadalcanal.

January 24, 1942. Pesky submarines. The enemy submarines prowling around the Hawaiian archipelago may not be very effective but they sure are annoying. The naval command has wisely decided to ferry the capital ships from Pearl to shipyards on the West coast for the extensive repairs that they need thus freeing up essential dry dock space for war needs. This decision comes as no surprise to us; it is the logical thing to do and, it seems, the Japanese naval command expected this. This is, of course what the enemy submarines were waiting for. One of them attacked the convoy that was ferrying BB Pennsylvania to the West Coast shipyards. It failed to attack the big warship and had to attack one of its escorts, DD Ellet. Thanks to the quick action of its lookouts, the destroyer evaded the four torpedoes launched at it. DD Blue then attacked the submerged enemy to no effect while Bagley stayed with the capital ship as it steamed, slowly, out of harm’s way.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

January 26 1942. The war may continue but it did not seem so yesterday, in most theaters of conflict. Indeed, it seemed as if a lunar New Year truce had been declared. The battlefields were silent. On both sides of no-man’s land, combatants stopped and gathered their breath. Only two exceptions: Near Pearl Harbor, the ASW task force of DDs Allen, Ward and Chew, attacked an enemy submarine with unknown results. In Pakhoi, the 64th Chinese corps traded artillery fire with the Japanese 5th Amphibious brigade, with uncertain results. That was all the combat that occurred. Allied forces are not inactive. A spanking new airfield rises out of the desert outside Darwin and has reached level 4. It can now operate twin engine bombers in addition to fighters and scout bombers. These however are not present and on its long runways, only patrol aircraft and the Hudson twin engine patrol/ bomber hybrids operate. In Luganville, despite the visit of Kiido Butai’s Kates, or perhaps because of them, the fortifications have been improved from the rudimentary foxholes to the next level and work continues to make the island base a tough nut to crack for the enemy, if it decides to try at it.

January 27 1942. The lull in the fighting continues. US destroyers continue to harass Japanese submarines around the islands while in the Solomon islands, the enemy landed a small force in Tulagi.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

January 28 1942. Enemy submarines stroll through the waters around Hawaii uninhibited by our Navy. Yesterday, off Hilo, the small steamer Nebraskan was shelled first and then torpedoed and sunk. Johore Bahru and Iloilo fell to Japanese attack.

February 1st 1942 The war goes on, at a slower pace. Yesterday, allied forces at Clark repelled yet another Japanese attack on the airfield. Pakhoi is also holding on. Yesterday, Admiral Chester Nimitz in a rare interview offered to answer some of our questions. Admiral: Is there an allied strategy or are we just muddling along? “You could say that the strategy is to muddle along. Seriously, the Japanese are looking for oil and resources in the Dutch East Indies, Malaya and Burma. They are on a tight timetable, they need to seize the goods before their economy runs out of oil, fuel, steel and rubber. Our strategy, at this time is to delay their advance, as best we can, until we are ready to mount oor own offensive.”

“When will that be?”

“I would estimate that by June, or July, we should see some limited allied offensives, of course depending on what the enemy does.”

“How about the submarines that are plaguing our shores?”

“We will get them eventually.”

< Message edited by kaleun -- 2/21/2011 4:33:19 PM >

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

February 6th 1942. Japanese forces take Tulagi in the Solomon Islands, while at Clark and Pakhoi, allied forces continue their heroic resistance.

February 8th 1941 Japanese submarines continue to lurk in the approaches to the Hawaiian Islands. In the Philippines, a small task force tried to evade the prowling Japanese navy.

Escorted by AM Whippoorwill, the submarine tender Holland and cargo ships Ravnaas, Tantalus, and PGs Isabel and Tulsa attempted to run the enemy blockade and reach friendly harbor in the DEI. It was not to be. Enemy carrier aircraft sunk Holland, Whippoorwill, Ravnass, Tantalus and Isabel.

PG Tulsa, apparently got away, at least for the time being.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

February 9 1942 As predicted, torpedo bombers from the enemy carriers found and sunk PG. Tulsa near Butuan. In Burma, Japanese forces seized the small town of Mergui.

February 10th 1942 Sidate falls to Japanese attack. The Menado garrison that had withdrawn here is now retreating westward.

February 12th 1942 British intelligence reports an explosion in the captured harbor of Hong Kong. It appears that one enemy ship, tentatively identified by the Royal Navy intelligence as the destroyer Asakaze, struck a mine and suffered heavy damage.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

February 17th 1942 The Japanese juggernaut seems to have found more than a few speed bumps.

In the Philippines, after trading artillery fire witht the defenders at Clark, they tried a shock attack yesterday that was repulsed with heavy losses on both sides.

In Burma and Malaya the enemy has managed to make advances but has not yet reached Singapore.

Meanwhile, across the Pacific, American bases are growing at Palmyra and Canton. Defended by coastal artillery units and Army brigades, these bases stand ready to repel Japanese aggression while providing refueling stops and refuge for the allied shipping that brings the tools of war to Australia, New Zealand and the two price islands in the South Pacific: Suva and Noumea.

Reinforcements are being rushed to these two islands, and are reported to be reaching division strength on both; in addition marine regiments, coastal batteries and other support forces are rushed to Luganville in Espiritu Santo, in the expectation that the Japanese will strike there, from their bases in the Solomons.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

Yesterday, after their long trek south, through the Malay Peninsula, the first Japanese troops began their assault on Singapore. Elements of the 6th Tank regiment attacked the causeway and suffered heavy losses. Despite the losses, the Japanese are holding on desperately to the island side of the partially destroyed causeway and await the arrival of reinforcements.

February 20 1942. Assault on Singapore continues.

The Gibraltar of the East suffered renewed attacks today by Japanese forces. The attacks were repelled with heavy losses by the Japanese. The enemy is reported to have suffered 4700 or so casualties including 93 Squads of infantry destroyed, as well as twenty tanks. Allied losses were moderate, only 491 and, of these, most were just wounded or disabled.

February 21st 1942.

Japanese forces assaulting Singapore take a break after the heavy losses of the past few days. Allied forces catch their breath, dig deeper, and watch warily their enemies.

Meanwhile, near Port Blair, in the Andamans, enemy aircraft attack the ships that supply and reinforce the garrison there. The Hurricane IIa fighters at the airfield succeed in downing three G4M Betty bombers and damaging a fourth. The Japanese score no hits.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

Japanese forces in Singapore begin to dig in for what they know now will be a protracted siege. The defenders are dug in deep in their fortifications, and are well supplied. The enemy launched an artillery barrage today that did not end up at all as they expected. In fact, their shells caused no damage on the fortified allied troops but the counter battery fire was reported by spotters to cause some destruction on the enemy engineers.

In Port Blair, nine enemy Ki-21-IIa Sally Bombers attacked a cargo ship. No hits were scored and three aircraft fell to the five Hurricanes that scrambled.

The island was not so lucky in the afternoon when a raid of 22 torpedo bombers and 34 dive bombers, protected by 59 Zero fighters pounced on the island. Only one hurricane scrambled, which may be considered fortunate. In the harbor, destroyer escort Jumna succumbed to five direct bomb hits. AK Taiping received 4 bomb hits and one torpedo. AK Pundit took 6 bomb strikes. AK Gogra 3 and AK Alice Moller sunk after being hit by no less than fifteen bombs.

It appears that the enemy carriers sneaked through the Malacca straits right under the unsuspecting Singapore guns.

The enemy Scott1964 san has been notified by the Swiss observers that under the rules, he cannot transit the straits while the allies hold Singapore.

Scott san claimed he did not know this rule and, indeed, it was confirmed that this was the case. The shore guns of Singapore will allow KB to withdraw the way it came.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

February 24 42 Enemy bombardment attacks in Singapore fail to make a dent on the fortified forces that await the Japanese assault, except for the fear and terror the pounding of artillery barrage causes on those on the receiving end. Of course the allied return fire returned the favor.

Elsewhere, in the extreme south of the Philippines, between Tawi Tawi and Basilan, the volcanic island of Jolo rises. Japanese forces landed today on the undefended island.

February 25 42 Ignoring the offer of safe retreat through the Malacca straits, Kido Butai entered the Gulf of Bengal and attacked Madras. Aside from the nuisance value, little can be accomplished by this raid as most of allied shipping got out of the way.

Jolo fell to the unopposed Japanese assault, as was expected.

In Singapore, the Japanese threw a desperate attack on the allied positions. Allied forces repulsed it and responded with a strong attack of their own. The end result can at best be called a costly draw.

February 27 1942 An attack by twin engine Betty bombers on a task force at Port Blair was easily repulsed by DD Vampire’s AA fire. That was not what happened when a return visit by Kido Butai’s aircraft attacked the supply task force of four small cargo ships escorted by the destroyer. All ships suffered severe damage.

In Singapore, both sides lick their wounds and prepare for the next assault.

February 28th 1942. The battle for Bataan begins. The final stage of the battle for Mindanao started today with an all out assault by the Japanese forces on the allied troops defending the Bataan peninsula. The result, as can be expected was a total rout for the Japanese troops. Attacking a heavily entrenched, well supplied enemy, in unfavorable terrain, without artillery preparation was, and is, a recipe for disaster.

< Message edited by kaleun -- 2/24/2011 11:16:01 PM >

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

The first week of March finds an eerie quiet falling over the front lines of the Pacific war. Even the submarines that still prowl the vicinity of Hawaii are either mostly gone, or just not seen. Only two times do the American anti submarine patrols find them, and only once do they actually attack the enemy.

In China, Pakhoi is bombarded by artillery daily, without much effect.

Elsewhere, the Japanese regroup, retrench and reinforce. The besieged garrisons of Singapore and Bataan dig deeper and wait.

Palmyra and Canton continue to sprout airfields dug out of the unforgiving rock and piers grow, forming harbors, complete with oil farms where the allied ships can call in, refuel and repair battle damage. Suva and Noumea sport division sized forces and more.

The Pacific waits, so does Asia, so do the Dutch East indies.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

Note: The game is now in July 41, only four months ahead of the AAR. Since this is an open AAR, from now on, the War department has ordered reports to be censored to avoid sensitive information from falling in enemy hands. Also The pace of the war is about one day daily, so we can't get much further ahead either with this without falling into operational intentional murk.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

To the men resisting the enemy in Bataan and Singapore, their effort is only a matter of life and death. For us, however it is much more. Sure, the heroic resistance against overwhelming odds and so on, is important, for morale and so. But there is something even more critical. In Malaya, dozens of fighting troops, divisions, brigades, artillery are massed against the little fortress of Singapore, and in Luzon, the same happens against the important peninsula of Bataan and the island of Corregidor.

Those forces, the enemy desperately needs elsewhere. In other theaters where the oil and resources the empire needs, lie unclaimed.

The war just heated up in Singapore and Bataan. In both locations, the Japanese launched an all-out attack on allied lines. It was repelled with heavy losses on both sides, but it is reported that the enemy suffered twice as many casualties as the good guys. The Japanese submarines continue to make a nuisance of themselves all over the Hawaiian Islands and the Navy seems unable to do anything about it.

March 15th 1942. Japanese assaults repelled at Singapore and Bataan. In a repeat of the action from the11th, the Japanese again carried out all out attacks on the fortifications at Singapore where they were repelled with extremely heavy losses on the enemy side. Reportedly more than 7000 casualties on the enemy at a cost of 1000 on the allied side. In Bataan, the enemy losses were along the same line with almost 8000 casualties for 1900 among the American and Philippine defenders.

The war just heated up in Singapore and Bataan. In both locations, the Japanese launched an all-out attack on allied lines. It was repelled with heavy losses on both sides, but it is reported that the enemy suffered twice as many casualties as the good guys. The Japanese submarines continue to make a nuisance of themselves all over the Hawaiian Islands and the Navy seems unable to do anything about it.

March 15th 1942. Japanese assaults repelled at Singapore and Bataan. In a repeat of the action from the11th, the Japanese again carried out all out attacks on the fortifications at Singapore where they were repelled with extremely heavy losses on the enemy side. Reportedly more than 7000 casualties on the enemy at a cost of 1000 on the allied side. In Bataan, the enemy losses were along the same line with almost 8000 casualties for 1900 among the American and Philippino defenders.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

March 17th. Japanese force lands at Brunei.March 17th. Japanese force lands at Brunei. BBC reports that an enemy amphibious force landed at the oil rich port of Brunei yesterday. The initial attack on the harbor failed to overcome the determined resistance, but did secure a beachhead.

March 19th. Continued naval air attacks around Java.March 19th. Continued naval air attacks around Java. Kido Butai airplanes attacked the converted troop transport xAP Kota Tjandi. She was hit by seven bombs and was on fire at last report. Fortunately, it was not carrying any troops.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

Japanese forces launched yet another attack against the fortress of Singapore. It was repelled yet again by the heroic defenders with heavy casualties on the Japanese side. The allied losses were much less than the Japanese however, the problem remains. The allied losses cannot be replaced since the sea approaches to the besieged island remain in Japanese hands.

March 30th 1942, Japanese task force breaks out into the Indian Ocean.

For most of this month, Kido Butai prowled the waters around Java, seeking allied shipping to attack. ABDA command however had withdrawn most, if not all, major players from these waters so KB’s aircraft preyed only on motor launches and minor coastal defense vessels that lacked the endurance to reach safe harbors elsewhere.

Yesterday, the Japanese tried a different gambit. Near the isolated island of Christmas in the Indian Ocean, Dutch aircraft found an enemy task force. A fighter battle ensued, and the Dutch pressed on with their attack, 6 bombers and 6 fighters attacked a Japanese battleship, Hyuga.

The exact composition of this task force is unknown but it may be that KB broke out into the Indian Ocean, or it may be a smaller carrier force. We wait for events to unfold.

Meanwhile, in Bataan the Japanese launched another attack repelled by the allied forces with huge losses by the enemy. A ratio of 8:1. Even for a besieged garrison, it is a great success that will delay further enemy attacks for a long time.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

April 1st 1942 Major Naval battle in the Indian Ocean! It was all a matter of timing. March that started with a whimper went out with a bang.

An enemy carrier task force penetrated the Indian Ocean looking for targets. The Royal Navy sent their own carrier task force to intercept them.

Yesterday, March 31st the two task forces found each other.

The battle opened up when a large formation of dive and torpedo bombers showed up in the vicinity of the British carriers. Only four Sea Hurricanes rose from the British decks to protect their carrier force. They were easily and quickly overwhelmed by the 38 Zero fighters that escorted the Japanese raid. An estimated total of 54 torpedo bombers and 48 dive bombers attacked the British task force. The light carrier Hermes was hit by five bombs and two torpedoes; the larger Indomitable took six bombs and five torpedoes. The heavy cruiser Exeter sunk under one bomb and two torpedoes. The heavy cruiser Cornwall, and the light cruisers Glasgow and Enterprise were also damaged.

While all of this was going on however, the reason for the paucity of British fighters became clear when, over the Japanese task force, fourteen fighters and thirty six bombers appeared. 14 Zero fighters scrambled to protect the Japanese ships. The obsolete Swordfish and Albacore bombers barreled in at low altitude and scored. Battleship Nagato took five torpedo hits and Ise two. Battleship Fuso was also hit by a bomb that however did not penetrate its heavy armor.

Only one carrier was seen by the British fliers, the light carrier Zuiho that escaped attack.

In the evening, Japanese aircraft attacked the British task force again, sinking Hermes and hitting Indomitable with bombs that, thanks to its armored deck, did little additional damage. Cornwall however took two additional torpedo hits.

A Royal Navy spokesman postulated that there was a second carrier task force in the Indian Ocean containing the Japanese fleet carriers. The Royal Navy airplanes attacked a decoy force that only had a small carrier in it while missing the juicier target. Even so, Nagato is not expected to make harbor after all the torpedo hits it endured, so the battle was not as one sided as it would seem.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

April 4th 1942 The British naval fleet fled deep into the Indian Ocean. Behind it were left the ships that could not make it, that could not keep up. One of these was heavy cruiser Cornwall. On the morning of the first, fighter aircraft located it and, later that morning, it sunk under more than twenty bomb impacts. Otherwise there is nothing new to report in the Pacific war. Pakhoi continues to befuddle the Japanese attackers and both Bataan and Singapore await the next enemy attack. April 6th 1942 Near Madioen in the DEIs, Dutch airplanes attacked the Japanese battleship Ise, damaged in the battle of Christmas Island. Although they scored no hits they confirmed the heavy damaged inflicted on the enemy capital ship by the RAF fleet arm fliers on the 31st.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

April 7th 1942 Yesterday, northeast of Soerabaja, near the tiny Kangean islands a Japanese carrier task force, containing light carrier Zuiho and BB Fuso was attacked by 14 British Albacore torpedo bombers. Unescorted, the biplanes attacked through the fighter escort of 13 AG2M Zeros. 8 were destroyed but three got through the fighters and flak and attacked with torpedoes which, unfortunately missed.

April 9th 1942 Singkiawan fell to Japanese attack yesterday. A new Japanese assault on Bataan was repelled with heavy losses by the Japanese (4:1 ratio) despite the heavy losses; Japanese engineers were able to destroy a large portion of the fortifications on the defensive line. It is our hope that, while the enemy recovers, allied engineers are able to rebuild the damaged defenses.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

April 10th 1942 The Makassar garrison is under attack by the Miura Detachment. Up to now, it holds. In the Philippines a new attack against Bataan was repulsed by the defenders.

April 11th 1942 Japanese forces tried an all out attack on Bataan and were again repulsed with 4:1 losses. In Makassar, the garrison continued to resist enemy attacks.

April 13th 1942. It had to happen. All these submarines lurking around Hawaii had to finally hit something. TK Hagood received a torpedo near Kona yesterday.

The Japanese seem determined to conquer Bataan and launched a new all out attacked yesterday. It met no better results than the two previous ones except that their losses are in the one to five ratio.

The resistance of Singapore and Bataan is throwing a monkey wrench into Japan’s carefully constructed plans said Adm Nimitz yesterday.

We have received news that the 18th, 21st, and 25th Australian infantry brigades, as well as the 7th Division cavalry regiment and 2/3 MG battalion are either in Perth or Darwin. These are units of the 7th Australian infantry division that were deployed in the Middle East. From fighting Rommel, they have now been recalled to the homeland. They arrived at Perth and, after a couple of days of recreation, are being ordered to Darwin. These are crack veteran troops that will provide a warm reception for his Imperial Majesty’s minions if and when they decide to invade Australia.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu

April 16th 1942 Something is wrong in the Japanese offensive. The invading forces at Makassar proved insufficient to overcome the Makassar garrison and are now on the defensive with the Dutch forces counterattacking. Unless Japan can bring additional forces to bear, the invaders will be destroyed. Australia has promised to assist the Makassar defenders.

April 18 1942 The Makassar garrison is creaming the Miura Detachment forces that sought to conquer it. This may very well be the first time in this war an enemy invasion force is actually turned back or destroyed. All allied eyes are focused on the heroic Dutch garrison.

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you. Sun Tzu